Global camera makers are transforming themselves into non-camera makers as the size of the digital camera market was curtailed along with the rapid uptake of smartphones.
According to U.S. market research firm IDC, the global digital camera shipments totaled 81 million units in 2013, down 44 percent from 145 million units in 2010.
Against this backdrop, camera makers are making forays into the medical equipment market which is expanding on the back of a rising demand from emerging markets, plus the rapid population aging worldwide.
According to another market research firm Espicom, the world's medical equipment market size is forecast to reach US$454.5 billion in 2018, a 30-percent growth from 2014.
Among the global camera makers which are steering into the medical equipment business are Olympus, Fuji Film, Sony, Nikon, and Canon.
